Three of Bus Vannin’s Mercedes Citaros have caught fire since their introduction to the island in 2011.

The most recent fire was on Friday, January 18, near the Bottleneck car park on Loch Promenade in Douglas.

The make and model of bus has a history of fires including in Rome and London, which has in the past led to the bendy bus version being withdrawn from the latter.

Following the fire in Douglas, the history of the bus model was examined by Isle of Man Newspapers and found recports of at least 31 fires between January 2017 and May 18 in Rome.

The BBC reported that operating company Atac in Italy said the buses were old, having begun their operation life in 2003.

And it reported union bosses said that bad maintenance practices were to blame for the fires, citing an April 2018 fire on a bus which had only been in operation since 2013.

Before then, the bendy version of the buses, the Citaro G, was withdrawn from London following fires in 2003 and 2004. A newer standard version of the bus now operates in the capital.

In response to concerns raised by the Manx Independent over the buses, the Department of Infrastructure said that the island’s buses have had additional checks alongside regular scheduled maintenance.

The DoI also confirmed that nobody has been injured in any of the incidents on Manx buses.

A spokesman added: ’Each vehicle includes a fire warning system fitted as standard, and the drivers are fully trained to deal with such incidents.

’Due to rigorous safety standards, which ensure any blaze is confined to the engine compartment, none of the incidents have led to fire entering the passenger area.

’Like any vehicle, buses suffer constant wear and tear.

’Many of the single decker buses have already done more than 500,000 miles in service.

’The inevitable faults are addressed during routine maintenance, and also through the occasional breakdown. Overall, we have been very pleased with the reliability of the Mercedes buses.’